Reasons Why You Keep Getting Ankle Sprains

Ankle sprains occur among people of all ages and at all activity levels and are the leading reason for missed participation in athletics. 

As you probably know, your ankle is a joint, which means it houses bones, ligaments, cartilage, muscles, and connective tissue. A sprain occurs when the ligaments supporting the ankle stretch beyond their normal limits and tear. 

The severity of a sprain varies widely, depending on the number of ligaments involved and the degree to which they’re torn.

Most sprains heal with conservative treatments like ice, elevation, over-the-counter medications (e.g., Tylenol® and Aleve®), and simple rehabilitation exercises. 

But if your ankle remains swollen or painful for several weeks despite noninvasive, conservative treatments, or if you have difficulty putting weight on your ankle, you should see our board-certified podiatrists at Chicagoland Foot and Ankle.

We’ll evaluate your injury to ensure you don’t have a severe ankle sprain or fracture, but if you do, we’ll provide treatment and help you understand how to avoid recurring ankle sprains.

What are the symptoms of an ankle sprain?

Common symptoms include:

• Tenderness
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Ankle instability
• Ankle pain
• Restricted range of motion

Following an ankle sprain, you might find that the joint makes a clicking or popping noise when you move.

Why do I keep getting ankle sprains?

If you find yourself spraining your ankle again and again, it could be due to a number of factors. 

Check your gait

Do you roll your ankle to either side when you walk? In a natural gait, your foot should come down heel first and then toes. If your foot comes down heel, outside/inside of foot, then toes, you risk rolling the ankle, spraining it again and again.

Ligament laxity may be to blame

With repeated sprains, the ankle ligament can stretch — called ligament laxity — making future sprains even more likely. It becomes a cycle of injuries leading to ankle instability leading to yet more injuries.

You might be favoring an injured ankle

You can develop laxity due to your altered gait. With one ankle often swollen, tender, and painful, you adjust your walk to favor the leg, in the process shifting your center of gravity and depending too much on your other side. That’s a short hop to injuring your healthy ankle.

Ignoring minor tears to continue to compete

If you play sports that involve sudden starting, stopping, and turning at speed, such as soccer, basketball, or volleyball, you’re at high risk for ankle injuries. In the desire to play, athletes often ignore repeated minor tears in the ligament and continue to put strain on the injured joint until they have to stop.

Next steps

Ligamentous laxity can happen after just one or two severe ankle sprains, or it can be the cumulative result of dozens of sprains over time. Micro-tears turn into larger rips in the tissue, causing chronic pain and instability.

Get a proper medical assessment of your ankle after any type of sprain to prevent ankle instability and forestall any future injuries. Without proper rehabilitation, a chronic or untreated severe sprain can weaken the entire ankle joint, making it more likely that you’ll injure it again. 

Repeated ankle sprains can lead to long-term problems like chronic pain and arthritis.

If you’ve sprained your ankle, entrust it to our experts at Chicagoland Foot and Ankle. To schedule an appointment with one of our board-certified foot and ankle specialists, call any of our locations (Mount Greenwood and Portage Park areas of Chicago, as well as Orland Park and New Lenox, Illinois), or book online today.